Gender and Theology/Society Flashcards
(42 cards)
Why do traditionalists oppose feminism?
Traditionalists see feminists as irrationally attempting to deny the reality of their own nature regarding what would make them happy.
Why do feminists oppose traditionalists?
Feminists see traditionalism as a man-made ideology which manipulates women into accepting the social role that it serves the interests of men for them to have.
How does Genesis support a traditional approach?
In Genesis, Adam is created first and Eve is created from a part of Adam. It also says Eve was created to be Adam’s ‘helper’.
How does Augustine interpret Genesis?
Augustine interprets this as meaning that a man by himself contains the imagio dei, but a woman does not. Only when combined with husband as his helper can a woman be in the image of God.
What does Genesis 3:16 explicitly say?
Eve’s was the first to fall into sin. Her punishment was pain in childbirth and that her husband will “rule over you”.
What interpretations does St Paul suggest from Genesis?
“I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one who was deceived, it was the woman … But women will be saved through childbearing”.
What does St Paul say wives should do within Ephesians 5:22-33
“Wives, submit to your own husbands as you do the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church … Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the world”
Why does Aquinas agree with the submission of women to their husbands?
Aquinas said that this submission of wives to husbands is actually for their “own benefit and good” and required for “good order” in the family, since men are wiser and more rational than women.
What is feminist Biblical criticism?
Feminist biblical criticism is the feminist approach to the Bible. It typically takes the liberal view of biblical inspiration.
What is the Bible patriarchy?
It is the idea that the Bible is man-made for the purpose of subjugating women. If a man tells a woman to submit to a certain gender role, that’s not persuasive, but if that man tells the woman that the creator of the universe wants her to, that is quite persuasive, especially if both the man and woman actually believe in that God.
What does Hume say which is suggestive when discussing Biblical patriarchy?
As Hume points out, reason is a slave of the passions. Men will therefore be subconsciously drawn to ideology that serves their interests. The view that men’s rightful place is being active in the world while women support them by being passive in the home, appeals to the self-interest of men. They therefore tend to support it, just as any group of humans would tend to support something which benefits them.
How would traditional Christians respond to Feminist criticisms?
Traditional Christians might respond the Bible is God’s inspired word. If God wants men and women to be different, then that’s what God wants.
What may some Christians compare feminists who reject the Bible to?
They might argue that women who reject these bible passages are essentially acting like Eve did when she disobeyed God. All humans are called to a high standard by God, but many prefer to disobey and disbelieve rather than submit to it.
What is the liberal approach to the Bible?
The liberal approach to the Bible views it as a product of the human mind, not the perfect word of God. It began during the enlightenment period where scientific, historical and literary critique began of the Bible.
What do liberals believe the Bible reflects?
The bible thus reflects the cultural and historical context of its human authors and requires interpretation and continual re-interpretation to ensure its relevance. It is not the perfect word of God. Liberal Christians will point out that Jesus himself seemed to be progressive . Christians should follow this example and continually update and improve Christian theology and ethics.
What is Ruether’s Feminist theology?
Ruether would respond that the Bible contains patriarchal verses, but also verses that are in favour of equality. The Bible is therefore inconsistent on this issue and cannot itself coherently support the traditional patriarchal view of gender roles.
What do post-Christian Feminist theologies argue?
Post-Christian feminist theologians would regard the patriarchy in the Bible as evidence that the Christian God doesn’t exist because it’s man-made, which you can tell by the fact that the Bible gives men what is in their view a superior position to women. God did not make man, men made God.
What does Pope John Paul II’s ‘Mulieris Dignitatum’ try to resolve?
In 1988 Pope John Paul II wrote an open letter called ‘Mulieris Dignitatum’ – on the dignity of women – to defend Christianity against the accusation of sexism.
What does John Paul II ‘Mulieris Dignitatum’ argue?
Men and women have different but complementary qualities and abilities due to the nature God designed them with. So, while men and women are different, they are both equally valuable. This is a defence of Gender Traditionalism and a divinely designed biological essentialism. This suggests that Christianity and the Church is not sexist and that a male savior can save women.
What does John Paul II argue a woman’s telos is?
John Paul II argued that women are ‘naturally disposed to motherhood’. Both physically in that they have a womb and also psychologically in that motherhood creates a ‘special openness’ in a mother to their child such that mothers develop their self-giving abilities and compassion. So, the fulfilment and purpose of the female personality, especially that of compassion, comes from virginity and motherhood.
How do feminists respond to John Paul II’s argument for a woman’s telos?
It is an attempt to embed gender roles in telos is no different to biblical patriarchy. Just as the sexist parts of the Bible were either consciously or unconsciously invented by men for the perpetuation of male dominance, so too is the idea that God designed the telos of males and females to have different goals/inclinations
What does anthropology suggest against the idea of a woman’s telos and natural law?
As evidence, feminists point to anthropological study of different human civilisations, where it is found that there is a large degree of variation regarding gender roles between different cultures. If we had a telos that gave us a natural inclination to behave along particular gender roles, we should not expect to find diversity.
What do feminists argue religious arguments are a cultural attempt to do?
The Christian attempt to insist that God created women with a telos for motherhood is just a cultural invention by men in order to encourage women to adopt the passive social role of childrearing in the home so men can be active in the world and thus perpetuate their overrepresentation in important roles of power in our society
How does John Paul II ‘Mulieris Dignitatum’ show there are women within Christianity who are valued?
John Paul II also pointed out that there are many female European saints and that Jesus coming to earth was only possible because of a woman, Mary, which he suggests shows the important place of women in Christian theology. The claim is that Christianity can’t be sexist since there are women it holds in high regard.
